


The Great Uniter's Trial

by lancer365



Category: Avatar: Legend of Korra
Genre: Angst, Drama, F/F, Romance
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-02-11
Updated: 2017-04-23
Packaged: 2018-03-07 19:52:23
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 7,612
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/3181088
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/lancer365/pseuds/lancer365
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Six months after her destruction of Republic City, the former Great Uniter is finally brought to trial. Where she reunites with Suyin, repairing a bond that had been broken for too long. (Chapter 3 up)</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

A.N. Looking over this chapter years later I realized it need some changes.  So this is not the original first chapter. But I figured I might as well clean this one up a little before I release another chapter. Lol. You probably won’t even notice the changes, but I just thought I’d put that out there. lol.

* * *

 

The Great Uniter's Trial

\-----------------------------

"Please stand for the final verdict."

Suyin sat behind Kuvira in City Hall, with Opal beside her. Kneading the fingers of her hand, she tried to alleviate her restless state. Every cough or sniff from the audience in the room, put her on edge as she stared at Kuvira's back with an unforgiving amount of focus. The matriarch hadn't seen her former guard in over six months. But in that time, driven by her own guilt, Suyin learned to forgive.

Telling herself that she was the reason why Kuvira sat in platinum chains now, helped the matriarch understand the Great Uniter's original intentions for what she did. After many nights staring out of her office window without Kuvira at her side; Suyin finally saw the Earth Kingdom she had been too scared to protect, through the guard's eyes. There were more people that needed her than just Zaofu's citizens; and she had turned them away, looking at their suffering through blind eyes.

For three years, the matriarch struggled to come to terms with the radical methods the Great Uniter used to build her Earth Empire. In disagreement, Suyin let her anger win in the fight against the love she had for the former guard, as she was forced to watch her turn into a dictator. Kuvira's conquer of Zaofu brought Suyin to her lowest breaking point; now considered one of her life's most shameful moments.

In a fury of rash decisions, Suyin had almost acted upon her rage-filled thoughts of killing the young woman she forgot she loved.

No longer seeing her Kuvira in the Great Uniter, the matriarch justified her would have been horrific actions, by letting her mind think she was only killing a stranger with no significance to her. Suyin couldn't settle with watching passively from the sidelines, as the city she gave so much for was destroyed by someone else before her eyes; even if that someone else was the person she had trusted indefinitely.

Suyin followed Kuvira with her eyes as she slowly stood from the table. The younger woman had lost a lot, but her dignity was still intact; and even in prison clothes, the former Great Uniter was a menacing sight to behold. Every time Kuvira would even move, Suyin looked around the room, noticing the slight shifts from those near her.

Lin stood at the far front side of the court room, much like Toph had during the Yakone trial many years ago. She had yet to take her eyes from Kuvira; supposedly waiting for the moment she'd suddenly learn how to platinum bend, and throw the room into chaos.

"Mom?" Opal's hushed voice broke Suyin's attention from Kuvira's back.

"Yeah, what?"

Opal looked down at the quick rhythmic up and down motions of her mother's foot. "Are you ok?"

"Of course. Why do you ask?"

"Well, you're doing the foot thing again." Opal pointed a finger down at Suyin's foot, forcing the woman to look.

Suyin uncrossed her legs with a sigh and put her foot on the floor, letting her toes still tap unseen within her shoes. "I'm fine."

She wasn't.

The prolonged wait to hear Kuvira's final sentence was driving her crazy with nerves in the suspense. She knew that either way the sentence would be nothing good, but she just hoped it wouldn't be death.

Yes, Suyin could agree that some of the things the former Great Uniter had done were horrible. But if Kuvira were condemned to death, it would tear her apart. Call it a selfish thought, trampling on the graves of the dead; but Suyin couldn't fathom losing Kuvira again; even as hypocritical as that was, coming from the person who would've killed her almost a year ago.

Suyin glanced back around the room, looking at the faces of some of its inhabitants. The Avatar and her friends, Tenzin, Raiko, Korra's father, and a few Airbenders she didn't recognize were present. All sat in a thick silence, waiting to hear the inevitable.

"You are hereby found guilty of 1 count of crimes against humanity." The judge's loud voice brought Suyin's focus back to Kuvira.

"208 counts of first degree murder…"

Suyin shifted in her seat; the verdict was harder to hear than she thought it would be.

"…and 1 count of extortion for each Earth Kingdom city." The judge looked up from the paper she held in her hand and adjusted her glasses. "Kuvira, do you understand the specified charges and why they are being given to you?"

Kuvira nodded in response.

The judge took in a deep death, her face taking on a grim appearance. "In light of the atrocities and unspeakable acts of violence against humanity…committed by your own hands and presented here today." She struggled with her words. "…This court…has found it only appropriate that you be sentenced to death…365 days from now."

There was a collective gasp in the court room at the gravity of the final sentence.

Suyin's heart felt like it had stopped, freezing the blood within her veins. Tears fell down from her widened eyes, as a reassuring hand came to rest on her back. 'This can't be happening' She leaned over in her seat; resting her elbows on her knees, as she brought a hand over her mouth.

"May the spirits be with you, this court is adjourned." As the judge left, the heaviness in the room only increased as people let the weight of the sentence sit in their minds'.

A few pairs of eyes glanced over to the matriarch. Out of everyone present, Suyin was taking it the hardest. The wooden banister separating her from Kuvira acted as a wall between two worlds. The former Great Uniter stood silent on one side; paying no attention to the whispered words coming from the lawyer next to her. She no longer saw anything in the numbness of her mind. Whatever grief Kuvira had, she didn't show. Instead, it played out behind her, on the other side of that banister, through the woman she had come to love.

People began to leave, respectfully staying silent in the moment. But the immediate ones who had dealt with the situation of stopping the Great Uniter, stayed behind.

'I have to get to her before she goes' Suyin stood from her seat; walking past Opal, to the front of the room with legs that felt like they'd buckle at any second.

"Mom, where are you going?" Opal's voice attracted the attention of the others still in the court room, turning their heads to watch Suyin break the invisible barrier between her and Kuvira.

Gently, the matriarch waved off the representative who stood at the table, as she took her spot next to the former guard she'd known for years. Kuvira didn't turn to look at her; she just kept staring ahead with unfazed eyes. There was no telling what kind of thoughts ran through her head, or if she was even thinking, given the hard sentence she had just heard.

Suyin placed her hand tentatively on Kuvira's shoulder, knowing undoubtedly that the other woman could feel its unsteady tremor. But gathering enough strength, she slowly turned Kuvira to her, until their faces met.

The tired looking empty eyes that stared back at her, had faded to grey from the deep green they had once been. Dark circles and lines had found their place under Kuvira's jaded eyes; telling Suyin that the emotional toll of her actions had gotten to her at some point in that barbaric cell she was confined to; and sleep's relief hadn't come in days.

Pulling Kuvira to her, Suyin let her tears fall as she warded off Lin's steady approach with a hand she had lifted from the former guard's back.

"Take me back to Zaofu…That’s where I want to spend the rest of my time…with you." Kuvira's voice held an eerie drone as she paused, staring vacantly at the opposite wall over Suyin's shoulder. "Even if I'm locked in a cell…”

Suyin tightened her arms around Kuvira, hearing the chains rattle in response against her. "…I'm not going to let you die. I'll fight with everything I have to keep you alive."

The verdict had been expected; so it came as no surprise to Kuvira. It was a fair decision, considering the crimes she had committed.

But right now, what upset her the most was that she couldn't wrap her arms around Suyin, and wipe away her tears. Instead, all she could do was rest her head against the matriarch's shoulder, and listen to her cry tears for the monster in her arms.

"Don't Suyin.” She whispered, protecting their words from those around them. “Don’t bother. I love you too much to see you get dragged into this." Kuvira leaned into Suyin, closing her eyes as she escaped from the court room and its onlookers, who watched them with a prying curiosity and despair. “I’ve created this…I have to go through with it. But it doesn’t mean it’s easy.” Kuvira paused, wanting to do nothing more than feel and listen to Suyin’s breaths, one after another. After leaving Zaofu over three years ago, Kuvira never looked back. She had tricked herself into believing she didn’t miss the place she’d called home for so long. But now, Kuvira knew she was more desperate than ever to have just a small taste of home, when she could pinpoint the fresh crisp smell of Zaofu within the Matriarch’s clothes. And it saddened her to think that she’d never smell the Zaofu air for herself again, or see the sunset from the estate. Kuvira sighed, deflating into Suyin’s arms. “I’m sorry Su.”

The hands that held her close, took in fistfuls of the skin on her back through her plain prison clothes. It hurt; but strangely, also comforted Kuvira, knowing that Suyin still didn't want to let her go.

Even after everything she had done to Zaofu, and everything she’d put her through, the former guard was grateful that the matriarch still had the capacity to love and forgive her.

When Kuvira originally left Zaofu, her mind was clear with good intentions. But her pride wanted to return as the unbreakable warrior; coming home after battle to the proud face of the one they loved. She wanted that face to be Suyin's.

However, that prideful complex was what changed her for the worst; it was the difference between her success, and her downfall.

It pushed her into believing that she had to prove herself to Suyin, in order to gain an unconditional love she never realized she already had. And conquering the Earth Kingdom was supposed to do just that. But as those three years wore on, Kuvira discovered some of her darkest corners; reveling in the glorious sight of people falling to her feet, begging to be saved by the Great Uniter. Feeling needed, and gaining substantial power over the course of her journey, Kuvira intended to make sure the Earth Kingdom would never forget who brought them out of chaos. They would always be loyal to her; they would depend on her to survive.

And in the end, she chose power over love; her stupidest mistake.

Instead of bringing them closer, Kuvira's choice drew a rift between her and Suyin. Taking Zaofu was only the final straw that tore everything apart in the process; killing whatever love was still there, and making it seemingly irretrievable.

After the demise of her reign, Kuvira would sit in her cell wishing to be back in Suyin's arms; their love being one of the things she regretted destroying.

But feeling welcomed back into the arms around her now, made the prospect of dying easier to digest.

"Sis."

Suyin buried her face closer to Kuvira's neck, trying to ignore Lin's voice.

"Suyin."

She finally looked up with narrowed eyes staring at her older sister. "Hey look it's time for her to go, ok?" Lin's hands reached out to grab Kuvira, but Suyin took a step back, putting a foot of distance between them.

"What the hell Suyin?"

The matriarch kept her eyes trained on Lin's; looking at her as though she were a personified version of death coming to take the life of its victim. "Just give me a minute, would you?"

Shifting her eyes back down, she whispered. "You have to go, but I promise I won't forget about you." Suyin pushed Kuvira up by her shoulders, gazing into her eyes as she wiped tears from her own with the back of her hand. "For now, just stay strong and don't let them break you in there."

Kuvira looked down at the stone floor between her and Suyin. "For what? If I'm going to die anyways…Does it matter what they do to me?"

Digging her fingers into Kuvira's upper arms, Suyin shook the former guard, jolting her attention back to her. "For me, that's what." Suyin squeezed harder; burning holes into the other woman's eyes with angry reddened ones. "I don't ever want to hear you say that again. You're not going to die. Just let me worry about that."

"Suyin-"

"Don't say anything else."

Kuvira smiled as much as she could given the situation. "You don't want me to even say thank you." She watched the anger in Suyin's eyes pacify, feeling the hands pull her back in for one last hug.

Inhaling the intoxicating sweet scent of the matriarch, Kuvira closed her eyes in an effort to retain the memory of the arms around her. She wanted to remember the way Suyin's fingers tensed every time she'd shift beneath them; the subtle sign of her unwillingness to relinquish the bond that had held them together throughout the years. The relaxing peace channeling through her from those hands, had been Kuvira's eternal refuge; and the only thing she'd have left to keep her sane through the lonely cold nights in her cell.

Warm tears fell heavier against the rough fabric of the clothing Kuvira wore. _"The Great Uniter's new uniform"_ the guards would say, passing her cell as they teased her in spite, for reasons she could only guess.

Unlike the fancy clothes Suyin gave her, these made the world feel real again; reminding Kuvira of the dark childhood she had buried under riches.

Turning her head, Kuvira placed a bold kiss onto the skin of Suyin's neck. "Thank you, for everything. And in case I don't get to see you again…I love you. But now...you have to let me go." Kuvira tried to lift herself up, feeling an extra resistance from Suyin. "Please, don't make this harder for me than it already is Suyin."

Taking her arms from around Kuvira, the matriarch pushed Kuvira away, watching Lin take hold of her before she turned around, fleeing from the court room with haste; not even giving a glance to anyone else.  

The others didn't need to see her completely break down into a mess before their eyes. Some newsworthy spectacle that would be, with the headline, **_‘Matriarch of Zaofu Cries on floor of City Hall over Republic City Mass Murderer’_** , to follow just hours later in the papers.

Mass Murder was just one of the words used to describe Kuvira amongst, Tyrant, cold-blooded, heartless, maniacal, ruthless, cruel, and so many other things Suyin got tired of hearing.

For months she didn't read the newspapers; quickly becoming angry by every distasteful "creative" title they tried to put over Kuvira's head. The most outrageous being Metal Maniac, Spirit Killer, and even something as absurd as Death’s Ringleader.

Suyin knew that trying to keep Kuvira alive would be seen as an improper disrespect to the dead; and there was bound to be backlash on her for wanting to do it. After all the destruction the Great Uniter left in her path, the sentence was just. There were a lot of families who wanted to watch the former Great Uniter die, avenging their loved ones whose death she had caused.

But Suyin would never have it, because she still loved the one they called mass murderer.

"Mom?" Opal looked back at Kuvira, giving the shackled woman a confused look before she took off after her mother.

"What was that about?" Korra turned to her friends, waiting for one of them to explain the situation as though they knew.

Asami was the first to chime in, answering Korra's daring question with her own opinion. "Well, Suyin is probably just sad. I mean think about it, having to hear a death sentence given to a person you've known for years …can't be easy to deal with." She watched Kuvira disappear with Lin out of the room.

"I don't know." Bolin looked up at the tall model like woman standing next to Korra. "Don't you think that was a little over the top…with…" He gestured with his hands. "The hugging and the holding and -"

"You know you could really work on your sensitivity skills little bro." Mako shook his head. "I agree with Asami. That wasn't just a simple sentence, it was a death sentence. It's only normal for Suyin to feel sad after she's known her for so long…no matter what Kuvira's done up to now."

Korra sighed, glancing aimlessly around the court room. "We better get out of here guys…how about we all go out for noodles?"

"I'm in."

"Me too."

"Great idea Korra."

The group started to walk, moving down the aisle from which Suyin had fled with her hurried steps. Mako and Asami walked ahead as Korra slowed her pace to meet up behind the pair next to Bolin.

Stepping out into the Republic City air, Korra nudged Bolin with a smile. "Ok I kind of agree with you…" She guiltily shifted her eyes to the side and whispered to him. "Suyin did seem a little…over affectionate, didn't she?"

"Exactly what I'm talking about-"

"Oh for spirits sake you guys, somebody just got a death sentence and you're thinking about how affectionate they were."

Both quieted with guilty smiles, as they looked back at Mako who walked backwards in an effort to face them.

"Oh..uh..." Bolin nervously laughed next to Korra who still had a smile mirroring his own on her face. "Y-You heard that?"

Mako looked at both with unamused eyes. "Really? Of course I can hear you, you're right behind us."

Reaching the City Hall steps, Korra stopped; finding Suyin with her eyes, sitting on a bench with her face buried into her hands. "Maybe we shouldn't...joke about it." Korra's voice stopped the rest of the group, drawing their attention to the same sight she saw.

Asami focused back on Korra whose instinct to help was starting to take over. "Don't Korra; she just needs some time." She gave a small smile to the Avatar looking down at her from the top step. "Come on; let's just...focus on getting some food for right now."

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A.N. I do hope you got something good out of this. :)


	2. Chapter 2

So part one was written years ago (I can’t believe it), and is… crazy OTT, even for me. But I’ve been hanging onto other parts for a while. Anyways here’s one :)

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**Air Temple Island, Tenzin’s office, Morning after ruling**

“The council is going to vote against me-”

“And I would have to do the same…” Tenzin caught the disbelieving look in her eyes. “You can’t get her out of this one Suyin. Even though you remember her as your guard —and she’s doing a very good job trying to appear that way now— She’s killed people.” 

He walked away from her to the cherry wood bookcase that spread across the wall, and pulled out a couple of references.  “Distancing herself from the Great Uniter, and trying to “change” is not going to save her.” He moved around Suyin and behind his desk. “How do you know she isn’t just tricking you Su? We have all witnessed just how deceptive she can be. I don’t buy this act that she somehow changed in 6 months the person she was for 3 years.”

“She was my guard longer than she was the Great Uniter…I know her.”

Tenzin sighed, putting the books down on his desk, and taking a seat in his chair. “Su-”

 “Her first year was good. Actual changes were being made, and the Earth Kingdom was brought out of chaos rather quickly…If she was trying to prove me wrong she did.” Suyin gazed out at the surrounding ocean from one of the office windows. “I’m not sure what happened to her Tenzin, towards the end of that second year.” She gave a light shrug. “Maybe she got defensive because she knew the position was only temporary.”

“And then after Wu was brought back into the picture, she tried to seize power completely.”

Suyin smirked watching the morning sun glisten over the water. “Well come on, I don’t blame her for not wanting that… _boy_  to rule over the  **entire**  Earth Kingdom.”

“He is the rightful heir-”

“Unfortunately.”

Tenzin took in a breath and continued. “And in my opinion, doesn’t deserve the ill-mannered feelings he’s been receiving.”

“Kuvira loves the Earth Kingdom.  I can understand her not wanting to see it disintegrate under the likes of him.” Suyin looked down. “In her eyes, she was protecting it from further failure. When she became a dictator…I don’t know.”

“You had a chance to change everything. Yet chose not to do anything. Why?”

“Don’t remind me. It’s becoming one of my greatest regrets.”

“She destroyed your city Su-”

“She didn’t destroy it, it’s being repaired as we speak.”

“But it doesn’t change the fact that she tried to trample over you, and her own home.” He looked over to her. “She treated you as a means to an end. You can’t trust someone like that Suyin. She’s unpredictable. How are we supposed to know what is truth and lie with her?” He watched Suyin turn to him, and admittedly felt uneasy under her irritated gaze.  

“What if she’s not even sorry for what she’s done, but knows you’ll sympathize with her, and is trying to get into your head?”

Her gaze of irritation deepened into anger, and he looked down into the unfinished documents below him. Lin was always scary enough, mad or not. But it was no secret that her sister had the capability to be worse.

“All I’m saying is, don’t let her get into your head. Don’t let her manipulate y-”

“Just Stop!” Suyin turned her back to him with an annoyed sigh following soon after. “I know her better than anyone else. I’ve watched her become who she is. I  **know**  her Tenzin.”

“Suyin, No.” He gathered his courage and stood from his chair. “Even if what you believe about her is true…even if what you’re asking could be done. You’re talking about housing a menace to society. I can’t agree to that.”

Suyin continued to stare out the window; her troubled mind not focused on the beautiful sights, but solely on Kuvira. “What if I can promise to keep her in Zaofu?

“Still No.” He moved from around his desk, slowly pacing towards the sitting area in the center of the room. “Look, I understand why you feel the way you do about her. But it sounds to me like this has more to do with you than her.”

“Would you do the same for Korra, if she were in Kuvira’s position?”

Tenzin rested a hand atop one of the four antique chairs, and looked up to the door at the opposite side of the room.

The Avatar, who at first was a little bit of a nuisance, had grown on him over the years. He’d trained her; learning that the complexities of her personality sometimes held her back, but also made her strong as she was. He’d always counted Korra as part of the family, and felt proud as he watched her mature into an Avatar who had finally achieved balance. 

But still, he was troubled by Suyin’s question. On moral grounds, if Korra had somehow committed the same atrocities, he’d have no choice but to uphold the law. But from a personal stand point, he knew it would be hard to do. Yet he wouldn’t lie to Suyin, telling her what she needed to hear so he could make his point.

After a long silence, he spoke. “I don’t have a good answer for that Su. Of course I would be troubled. Yet, the feelings of one man do not outweigh the cries for the many who have been lost.”

Straightening up, Tenzin turned around to Suyin. “Kuvira has said she is ready to face the consequences of her actions, but  _you_ aren’t coping well with that.”

Suyin furrowed her brow. “How do you _cope_  with a death penalty?”

“You understand what she did. And recognize that this is only the consequence she’s brought on herself.” He moved over to her placing a tender, if not at first, hesitant hand on her shoulder. “She understands, and she’s ready for what must be done.” Tenzin stopped. Noticing how Suyin’s eyebrow twitched at his bringing light to Kuvira impending death, he relented a bit. “Even if you managed to keep her in Zaofu, she would still be around the general populace, not to mention, your family. Is that what you want? Is that fair to them?”

“Don’t bring them into this Tenzin-”

“Your  _feud_  with Kuvira brought them into this.”

He watched Suyin glance at him out of the corner of her eye.

“I know there’s more at work here than just her wanting to seize control……She was angry, at you.” His eyes followed her as she turned her face away and looked down.

“Kuvira isn’t dangerous. She just messed up, took her anger a little too far.”

Tenzin took his hand from her and stepped back, his brow knitting together. “You belittle what she did, like it’s no issue-”

“ _No_  I know it’s an issue.”

“She was angry enough to build a weapon of mass destruction, and kill innocent people while also d-”

“I get it.”

Suyin sighed, and looked down at her feet, loosening the hand that clenched the windowsill. “What if she undergoes an evaluation to check her mental stability. And provided she passes, she comes with me.” She turned to him, connecting their eyes in a tense moment. “I’ll keep her under house arrest, and-”

“She’ll still be roaming free, and with powerful bending capabilities.” He spoke in Suyin’s silence. “ _That_ , and Kuvira is a mastermind talker. She’ll overpower or outsmart any tactics or guards you use to keep her confined.”

“She can do the same thing in prison-”

“But her chances of succeeding are  _far_  less likely.” Ashamed of his curt tone, Tenzin calmed himself with a small sigh and softened his voice. “Suyin I-”

A knock on the door silenced the pair.

“Come in.”

The door opened timidly, revealing the tall dark haired, green eyed non-bender.

“Uh…I’m sorry I didn’t mean to interrupt. I overheard you and think I have an idea.”

“What is it?” Suyin was the first to respond.

Asami stepped into the room, closing the door behind her. “Well, what if we could inhibit her bending? Or, Korra could…take it away.” She watched Suyin’s brow furrow, and switched her gaze to Tenzin. An angry Suyin wasn’t something she was prepared for. She liked the kind woman she met when they first landed in Zaofu. This woman looked darker. “Then she’d be able to live in Zaofu as less of a threat-”

“And less of a person.” Suyin turned away.

“Look I know this sounds bad coming from a non-bender. But I’m just saying, it’s a justifiable sacrifice in lieu of what she’s done.”

Suyin walked behind Tenzin, and took a seat in one of the polished dark wood chairs with a sigh.

“Actually, she has a point.” He looked over to Suyin, watching her stare at the ground in silence.

“…Kuvira takes so much pride in her bending…it would crush her to have nothing.” Suyin leaned over, her elbows going to her knees, her forehead going into her hand. She contemplated the sacrifice she knew was just. She didn’t bring it up with Tenzin, but that same idea had already crossed her mind, only to be quickly eliminated. Being a bender herself, that method wasn’t even an option, nor a last resort. But having everything else shot down, it was looking like the only choice, if she wanted to keep Kuvira alive. “I’ll talk to her about it.”

“Suyin, that would make what you’re asking a lot more plausible.” Tenzin watched her get up, his eyes following her to the door.

Staring at her hand on the door handle, Suyin thought on his words, then thought about Kuvira’s reaction once she told her. Maybe, in facing the prospect of a nearing death, Kuvira would readily accept. But Suyin knew well enough, that her former guard was too proud to give up the one thing she held dear; the one thing she had in her complete control; the one thing that was hers.

Suyin couldn’t help but feel a sadness wash over her, as she thought of the empty person Kuvira would become; suffering silently with the loss of her bending. A ghostly vacancy would take the life from her eyes, and her tenacious heart would hollow.

Watching Kuvira unravel as the Great Uniter took control, was hard enough. And Suyin didn’t want to see what kind of person Kuvira would become after losing everything.

Steeling her jaw, Suyin pushed the door open, leaving without a word.

* * *

 

A.N That’s not the end. I just cut it so I could do an easier final edit. I tend to wear out after reading a bunch of words over and over again. TBH.


	3. An Offer

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Suyin goes to Kuvira, hoping the hardheaded woman will except an impossible offer in return for her freedom.

**A.N. A lot is going on in my life, a lot is changing. Yet still, I find some time to continue this stuff. Even if these stories are years old and no one cares. lol. One day I’ll stop... ;) Anyways, I’m pretty rusty with writing. But here’s what I attempted to do. Lol.**

* * *

 

**Chapter 3**

**Republic City Prison- 5 pm**

The jail guard pulled back the thick platinum cell bars, letting Suyin follow him in as he went to cuff the woman sitting on the bed, assumedly for the world leader’s protection.

“No.” Suyin’s hand grabbed the guard’s sleeve, abruptly halting his advance toward Kuvira. “Leave her be, and give us a moment.”

“Ma’am I can’t leave you in here with a criminal unattended.”

Suyin’s eye twitched listening to him call Kuvira a criminal. Stepping between him and Kuvira her brow furrowed. “I don’t care if you have to walk around the cell block, but give us a moment.”

The guard held her gaze before he sighed. There was no use in angering a world leader. Turning around, he retreated from the cell, grumbling something under his breath about "rich people".

Watching him disappear around the corner Suyin’s face softened, as her mind drifted back to Kuvira, who sat on the edge of the bed. Glancing down, Suyin noticed the feeling of an uncommon emptiness within the soles of her feet. _'So, they even managed to line the floor with platinum.'_ She looked up. _'...and no doubt the walls too.'_

Gathering her words, Suyin took in the sight of her former employee’s new uniform; a looser fit white button up, with a matching tee shirt and pants.

The letters **“EM92”** stamped in green on the front and back of the shirt; the color white a subtle punishment in itself, giving light to the prison’s worst. It made death row look like an absolution. It gave prisoners a false sense of hope. Even though they lived every day knowing that the only reparation for their wrongs, was the loss of their life.

“How are you doing?”

Kuvira sighed and laid down on the thin mattress, closing her eyes as she ran a hand over her face. “I’m doing great.” She said, lacing her words with a hint of sarcasm.

Suyin looked down and walked over to Kuvira. “Sorry, I guess that’s not the best question to ask.” She sat down next to the former Great Uniter, her eyes drifting up to Kuvira’s face. Without a second thought Suyin laid a hand on Kuvira’s knee, her ears listening to Kuvira’s relenting sigh.

“No, I’m sorry. This place just has a way of bringing out my cynicism. I’m doing as good as anybody would be on death row.” Kuvira opened her eyes. “In fact, I think I’m taking it rather well.” Throwing her legs back over the bed, she watched Suyin’s hand slide from her as she sat up. It was the same one with the wedding ring on it. Lifting her own hand, she covered Suyin’s, obscuring the metal from her sight. “I’m glad you’re here.” She said soft.

Looking down, past Kuvira’s rolled sleeve, Suyin’s eyes set on a mark that was foreign to her. A lightly bruised, half ring indentation near her elbow of what looked like…teeth. “What’s this?” Suyin’s eyes widened as she picked up Kuvira’s arm and examined the mark closer, seeing the other half of the ring continued on the underside of her forearm.

“It’s a bite mark.” She stated almost proudly. “Guess they wanted to see if the Great Uniter was really made of steel.” Kuvira chuckled.

“How can you laugh about that?”

“I don’t have much of a choice in here.” Kuvira looked over and into Suyin’s unrelenting eyes, then back down as her arm was let go.

“What happened Kuvira?” Suyin paused as she stared at the woman next to her, hoping for some definitive answer explaining the Great Uniter’s actions. Seeing the person she had grown so close to on death row still felt surreal; like it wasn’t really happening. Suyin’s eyes silently examined the side of Kuvira’s face, just confirming to herself that the woman next to her was very real.  Kuvira’s hair was done in its normal braid. But the shorter strands had escaped, most falling to one side of her face. Although the vibrant green color to her eyes still looked washed out, her face looked more rested than it had in the courtroom.

Every instinct told Suyin, this was still Kuvira. But now, Kuvira was also the Great Uniter, and the same was true in reverse. Yet, Suyin still couldn’t fathom that her seemingly gentle and quiet guard, had such a darkness running through her.

“You were the best at everything.” Suyin started soft, watching a slight crease form in Kuvira’s brow. “…The best metal bender, the best guard…" Suyin stopped. She could've gone on and on, listing out everything Kuvira excelled in. But instead, she just looked down. "So what happened? Why did you do this?”

Out of the corner of her eye, Kuvira gave Suyin a brief glance. She could feel an unabsolved tension lingering between them. But even through the heaviness, Kuvira still felt the comfort and warmth she always did with Suyin beside her. All in all, she had to admit she was surprised Suyin wasn’t still holding an angry grudge against her. But as the silence carried on, Kuvira noticed that she also felt something else coming from the older woman, remorse.

_‘hmm…maybe that’s why she’s being friendly.’_ Kuvira turned her head away so Suyin wouldn’t catch her smirk. _‘Then again, she didn’t come see me for almost 7 months.’_ Her smirk faded.

Those months in jail were hard. It wasn’t so much the hostile environment that bothered her, but her own thoughts. The silence in that first dingy solitary cell, nearly drove her mad, as her thoughts became her worst enemy.

There was no escape from them. Even the depths of sleep weren’t enough to drive them away. She tossed and turned, sometimes waking with a start when the nightmares became too real.

But soon Kuvira got used to it, and her once restless days passed with peace, as she learned to deal with the thoughts she had compartmentalized for so long.

Still, she was relieved when they moved her to an open-bar cell. Even if she was locked in, Kuvira found an odd solace in hearing the daily sounds and chatter of the prison. It almost reminded her of the Earth Kingdom streets and alleys she roamed with her friends, all of them homeless too.

“Because you wouldn’t.” Kuvira finally spoke, setting her sights on the open cell door as she stood and moved over to the bars. “I wanted the Earth Kingdom to be the best.” She stared out, the Great Uniter’s determination showing as a glimmer in her eyes. But before it could take over, she looked down. That _was_ the truth, yet only a portion of it.

“…There’s more to it than that.” Suyin gently pushed. “You changed, into a person I couldn’t recognize.” She shook her head.

“We’ve talked about this before, haven’t we?” Kuvira’s hand reached out and grabbed one of the bars. Hearing silence from Suyin, she figured the matriarch had forgotten that confrontation in Zaofu. “You barged onto my office that day, with chains still around your wrists…” Kuvira smirked at that memory. “And I remember you telling me that same thing. And what did I tell you?”

For a second, Suyin stayed quiet, actually thinking the question was rhetorical. “You told me, that I had taken in a street rat…” Suyin’s jaw clenched. “And turned her into something I could recognize.”

“And after that I told you, maybe, you never really knew who I was.” Kuvira turned around, her softened eyes connecting with Suyin’s. “Nothing I’ve said has been a lie Su. Greatness for the Earth Kingdom is really what I wanted.” She glanced away, breaking their eye contact. “ _The rest_ doesn’t matter anymore.” Kuvira turned back to the bars. She looked out to the dimly lit lights hanging from the prison ceiling, and then over to their guard talking to one of his buddies a few cells down.

Staring into the letters printed on Kuvira’s back, Suyin stayed silent, fighting an urge to demand answers to the questions she wanted to ask.

She wasn’t stupid. She knew “the rest” probably had to do with what happened between them.

Suyin glanced to the side then down. Nearly every facet of their relationship had been torn to pieces. The only thing left was for them to become enemies. But that wasn’t a conversation for now. All of that could wait until later, when Kuvira was back in Zaofu, and they had a little more privacy than an open cell.

“You should go.”

Kuvira’s soft words broke Suyin from her thoughts, as she looked up to the woman with tired eyes, not knowing what emotion to show anymore.

“Really Su, I don’t want to talk about this. What’s done is done.” Kuvira spoke with a stern finality set in her words. She knew Suyin well enough to hear the matriarch’s impending questions playing out in her mind, as she felt Suyin’s impatience stir through the air’s tension.  

A soft exhale escaped from Suyin’s mouth as she looked at her feet. “There’s a way.”

“A way for what?”

“That’s what I came here to tell you…” Suyin quieted, her hands folding together in front of her, her elbows sliding to her knees. “But there _is_ a way for you to escape this.”

Kuvira turned to her with curiosity looming in her eyes.

“But it requires a big sacrifice.” Suyin’s focus stayed locked onto her hands.

Kuvira hesitated to ask what. Did she really want to know? Did she really want whatever costly redemption this was? “…Just tell me.”

“The court has agreed to the terms that, you can be exonerated of the death penalty, and come back to Zaofu -under house arrest…” Suyin struggled to finish the sentence. “…if you allow Korra to take away your bending...permanently.”

Kuvira stared down at her, her brow furrowing. She thought about it, and about how good even an ounce of freedom would feel. Nice clothes, good food, and with Suyin supervising her and the guards working, it would be the best prison sentence offered. “……No.”

Suyin’s head shot up.

“No.” Kuvira said softer, turning her back to Suyin once more.

Suyin stood. “You can’t be serious.” Her words came out simmering as she waited for Kuvira to turn around and accept her offer. After all, she’d be an idiot not to.

But the Great Uniter never did. Instead, she just stood looking out through the cell bars with a hand stuck in her pocket.

“You’re saying you’d rather die here, than take this offer.”

“…you should go Su.” Kuvira sighed. “I’ve made my decision.”

As anger at this irrationality overtook her, Suyin stood at a loss of words. She couldn’t understand how, or why Kuvira could say “No”, _and_ after she had just narrowly convinced the council to drop the penalty. Storming out of the cell without a word came to Suyin’s mind, as her eyes bored unforgiving holes into the woman’s back.

If Kuvira wanted to rot in prison just to keep her sense of pride, then so be it. But when it came time for the noose to be placed over her head, she wouldn’t be in the audience.

At that thought Suyin looked away, the anger trying to soften from her face. She couldn’t let that happen. This was Kuvira’s only chance. She had to try again. She had to convince an inconvincible person. Her brow furrowed once more, and she took a few steps towards Kuvira. “Are you stupid?”

Kuvira turned over her shoulder. Suyin’s blunt words had gotten her attention.

“Many in here would love to have the privilege you get. That’s why they hate you so much.” Suyin scolded her. “To throw away a chance like this is to spit in their faces.”

“No Su…It’s the opposite.” Kuvira started. “To take a chance like that, to lessen the sentence I’ve been given, is to “spit in their faces”.” She pushed off the bar and moved over to Suyin, stopping just a foot away as she looked down, searching the matriarch’s irate eyes for some understanding.

Laying her hand against Suyin’s cheek, Kuvira gave her a soft smile, and wasn’t the least bit surprised when Suyin didn’t jerk away.

But even then, the older woman still tried to maintain her angry face.

“I know what you’re doing...But I can’t lose my bending.” Kuvira took her eyes away from Suyin’s, and watched her thumb ever so gently brush over the skin beneath it. It felt good to reach out and touch Suyin without the restriction of chains around her wrists. “And even though a part of me wants to come home…” She paused, looking down into the woman’s clothing, as a fleeting memory of the familiar warmth of her guard’s uniform passed.

Still, she shook her head. “…I can’t do that either.”

Suyin took Kuvira’s hand from her cheek, but held onto her wrist. “Kuvira, you’re acting as though this is just some regular sentence.” The furrow in her brow deepened. “I don’t think you’ve grasped the concept, that death means there is **_no_** freedom after you “serve your time”.” She squeezed Kuvira’s wrist. “ _Please_. Don’t throw this away.”  

“It almost sounds like you’re begging me.” Kuvira smirked. “That’s rare for you.”

Keeping Kuvira’s wrist in her hand, Suyin brought her arm down to her side; her eyes dropping to the floor as another sigh escaped. “You only get one chance. And once you tell me your choice is final, that’s it.”

“There will be consequences for you, if I’m seen back in Zaofu-”

“That is the ** _least_** of my concerns. No, it isn’t even a concern.” Suyin felt Kuvira break from her grasp, as she watched the woman walk away. “Kuvira please be rational about this.” She pushed. “Don’t make a stupid decision-”

“No Su.”

Suyin watched Kuvira sit on the hard slab of a bed, their eyes meeting. “I won’t take that as your final answer.” She turned and made her way toward the cell entrance, stopping with her hand resting on one of the dull bars. “I’ll come back in a few days. And by then I expect a better answer.”

Kuvira smirked. “There’s only two ways to answer that question Su.”

Turning over her shoulder, Suyin threw Kuvira a smirk of her own. “Exactly. And I know you’re not that crazy.” A darkness fell into Suyin’s voice, a glare in her eyes. “So…think wisely.” She looked away and out into the cell block. “I’ll be back in three days. That should give you plenty of time.” She walked out leaving Kuvira without a goodbye, and Kuvira knew why.

Following Suyin with her eyes until she disappeared from sight, Kuvira looked around the cell and smiled when her gaze fell to the ground between her feet.

* * *

A.N. The confrontation I refer to in here is from my story "A Rift Between Us". Hope you liked this. :)

 


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